Gorsalitz v. Harris

410 S.W.2d 956, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2347
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 15, 1966
Docket246
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 410 S.W.2d 956 (Gorsalitz v. Harris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gorsalitz v. Harris, 410 S.W.2d 956, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2347 (Tex. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

SELLERS, Justice.

This is a suit by Richard W. Gorsalitz and wife to recover on a malpractice count against defendant Dr. G. G. Harris. We find this statement in Appellee’s Brief:

“The trial judge suggested the damage issues be separated in submitting this case to the jury so as to bring this lawsuit to a conclusion after four trials and one appeal, and both parties agreed.”

The former appeal of this case was to the Court of Civil Appeals at Houston and is reported in Volume 360 S.W.2d 574 where a full statement of the facts on that appeal will be found. The judgment appealed from there was from an instructed verdict for *957 the defendant. The appeals court affirmed the judgment in their original opinion and then on Motion for Rehearing held :

“In their amended motion for rehearing appellants have called our attention to certain fact issues which we failed to consider in the foregoing opinion. There is ample evidence raising a fact issue as to whether the leaving of the root tip in Mrs. Gorsalitz’s gum or sinus constituted negligence on the part of appellee. We adhere to our original opinion that there is no medical testimony that any such negligence probably caused the conditions necessitating the closure of the sinus cavity and the damages resulting therefrom. On reviewing the record we have concluded, however, that there is testimony which would warrant findings that such negligence, if any, necessitated the operation to remove the root tip and was a proximate cause of damages resulting therefrom.
“There is evidence that in removing the root tip, appellee made an incision in Mrs. Gorsalitz’s gum and then sewed it up, and that she was in appellee’s office some 45 minutes to an hour and had to return three times before the stitches were removed. After the stitches were removed she was advised to see an oral surgeon to effect a closure of the sinus cavity. It is a matter of common knowledge that the operation for extraction of the root tip necessarily caused some pain or suffering, both physically and mentally. ⅜ ⅜ ‡»

Briefly stated, the facts on this appeal are that Mrs. Gorsalitz went to Dr. Harris on July 14, 1958 to have the upper right first molar tooth pulled. The doctor extracted this tooth and in doing so, left a root tip in the gum. In removing this tooth, Dr. Harris broke the floor of the sinus chamber which is not uncommon in removing this tooth according to Dr. Curl, the dental surgeon who testified in the case. Dr. Harris denied leaving this root tip in the gum of Mrs. Gorsalitz but the jury found that he did on ample evidence. After the removal of the tooth, Dr. Harris was able to effect a closure of the cavity from which the tooth was removed but not the bone tissue going into the sinus chamber. No further trouble was experienced by Mrs. Gorsalitz until in September 1959 when she went to Dr. Rosenbloom for dental work, and this doctor who testified on the trial found a root tip in Mrs. Gorsalitz’s gum and advised having same removed at once as it could cause trouble. Mrs. Gorsalitz then went back to Dr. Harris and advised him of what Dr. Rosenbloom had found, and Dr. Harris said he would remove the same. This he did, and thereafter was unable to effect a closure after the operation to remove the root tip. Dr. Harris then advised Mrs. Gorsalitz to go to Dr. Curl, a dental surgeon, to have the closure operation performed, this not being in Dr. Harris’ field of practice. It was some two weeks after this last extraction of the root tip before she was sent to Dr. Curl. Dr. Curl testified that it was proper practice for a dentist to try for some two weeks to effect a closure before sending the patient to a dental surgeon.

On October 13, 1959, Dr. Curl, aided by Dr. Lawrence, an Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist, performed the operation to close the opening made by Dr. Harris when he removed the root tip. At the time of this last operation, the sinus had become infected, and that was the reason that Dr. Lawrence was called in to help Dr. Curl with the operation. The operation was performed and the closure effected. There is no testimony by any of the five doctors who testified in this trial that Dr. Harris was in any way responsible for the infection that existed in Mrs. Gorsalitz’s sinus at the time of this last operation. The same doctor who testified on the first trial which was appealed to the Houston Court testified on this trial and we refer to the report of that case for a full statement of the evidence of the doctors on this trial. Two additional dentists testified on this hearing, but their evidence was largely cumulative of that given and reported in the other appeal. The first *958 three issues submitted by the Court to the jury found that Dr. Harris did leave the root tip in Mrs. Gorsalitz’s jaw when he extracted her tooth and that this was negligence and was a proximate cause of an injury to her body. Special Issue No. 4 was as follows:

“What sum of money, if any, paid now in cash do you find from a preponderance of the evidence will fairly and reasonably compensate the Plaintiffs for the damages, if any, which have resulted from such injuries, if any, to the Plaintiff, Mrs. Pauline Gorsalitz, as you find from a preponderance of the evidence were directly and proximately caused by the Defendant leaving one of the root tips from her upper right first molnr, if you have found that he did so leave one of such root tips, taking into consideration such of the following elements of damage, if any, as you find or establish by a preponderance of the evidence, and none other:
“(a) Such physical pain, if any, as you find from a preponderance of the evidence was directly caused by the injuries, if any, to the Plaintiff, Mrs. Pauline Gor-salitz, as a direct and proximate result of the leaving of the root tip from her upper right first molar, if you have found that it was left?
“(b) Such mental anguish, if any, that you find from a preponderance of the evidence was directly caused from the injuries, if any, to the Plaintiff, Mrs. Pauline Gorsalitz, as a direct and proximate result of the leaving of the root tip from her upper right first molar, if you have found that it was so left ?
“Answer by stating the amount, if any, in dollars and cents.
“You are instructed, in connection with the foregoing Special Issue No. 4, that in arriving at the amount of money, if any, which would compensate the Plaintiffs for their damages, if any, you will not take into consideration or make any allowance for any hospital, doctor, dentist or medical expenses of any kind or character, and you are further instructed that' you will not take into consideration or make any allowance for any physical pain or mental anguish, if any, which were incurred in connection with the operation performed by Dr. Carroll A. Curl and Dr. Van L. Lawrence on or about the 15th day of October, 1959.”

The jury in answer to Special Issue No. 4 assessed the damage at $2,000.00 and no complaint is made on this appeal as to that verdict.

The Court then submitted Special Issue No. 5 as follows:

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410 S.W.2d 956, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2347, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gorsalitz-v-harris-texapp-1966.